Businesses which received orders via the internet were asked to specify the types of automated links they had between systems used to receive orders and other business systems as at 30 June 2010.

The most common automated links were with business systems for invoicing and payment (12%) and suppliers' business systems (8%). Of the businesses which received internet orders, 77% indicated that their systems used to receive orders did not have automated links to any of the listed business systems.

Automated links between systems used to receive orders and other business systems, by employment size(a)(b), 2009 - 10

0-4 persons

5-19 persons

20-199 persons

200 or more persons

Total

%

%

%

%

%

Suppliers' business systems

8.3

8.5

8.6

16.1

8.5

Customers' business systems

2.7

7.0

9.6

14.2

5.2

Business's systems for:

reordering replacement supplies

3.7

7.1

6.2

9.0

5.3

invoicing and payment

12.4

11.1

15.4

24.6

12.3

production or service operations

3.2

4.4

7.2

12.8

4.2

logistics, including electronic delivery

3.6

3.2

5.5

13.3

3.8

marketing operations

3.0

4.8

6.1

7.4

4.1

No automated links

78.8

77.4

69.1

53.9

77.0

(a) Proportions are of all businesses which received orders via the internet in each employment size category.

(b) Businesses could identify more than one type of automated link.

By employment size, businesses with 200 or more persons employed were the most likely to have automated links across all business systems, often with a significantly higher proportion than other size groups. For example, 25% of businesses with 200 or more persons employed had automated links to invoicing and payment systems, compared with 12% of businesses with 0-4 persons employed.

Businesses in Health care and social assistance were the most likely to have any automated links (47%), whereas those in Electricity, gas, water and waste services were the least likely (5%). Transport, postal and warehousing and Rental, hiring and real estate services had the equal highest proportion of businesses with automated links to suppliers' business systems (18%). Information, media and telecommunications had the highest proportion of automated links with systems for invoicing and payment (22%), production or service operations (12%) and logistics, including electronic delivery (9%).